Trace Adkins caused controversy when he performed at NBC's Christmas in Rockefeller Center special Wednesday while wearing an earpiece decorated with the Confederate flag.

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The earpiece was visible when the country rocker sang "The Christmas Song" at the annual event and caused a firestorm online, with many calling the earpiece "highly offensive" for its associations to slavery in the antebellum South.

Adkins, 50 is now defending the earpiece, saying he did not mean to offend anyone, but that he still has the right to free speech and expression. "As a proud American I object to oppression of any kind," he wrote in a statement posted on his website. "To me, the battle flag represents remembrance of my Southern lineage -- I am a descendant of Confederate soldiers who followed that flag into battle. I advocate for the preservation of America's battlefields and honest conversation about our country's history. To those who view the flag as a symbol of racism, that was not my message and I did not intend offense."